Examples of percussion musical instruments designed to be held in one hand by a performer for lending motion and percussion sound emphasis to music, singing and/or dancing include the tambourine and the maraca. Typically the tambourine is a shallow one-headed drum with loose metallic discs at the sides and which is played by shaking, striking with the hand, or striking the instrument against other portions of the body. The typical maraca is a dried gourd or the like, as on a handle, the gourd being hollow and containing dried seeds or pebbles. In either case, such conventional instruments may be held in one hand and are used to lend emphasis to the body and arm movements of a singer or dancer, as well as to lend percussion sound emphasis to music whether or not accompanied by visual body movements of a singer or dancer.
The instrument of the present invention, albeit different in material respects, falls within this same general class of percussion instruments.
Accordingly, the principal object of the present invention is to provide a new and unique hand-held musical percussion instrument, also suitable as an attractive prop for a singer or dancer, and which is convenient to manipulate and capable of producing unique percussion sounds and sound combinations.